Statement on Tree Plantations, June 2009

The undersigned participants of the Forest Movement Europe wish to express our concern about the spread of fast wood tree plantations in the South, which are being implemented with support from some European governments and the direct involvement of a number of corporations based in Europe.

In spite of the fact that those plantations are resulting in a large number of severe social and environmental impacts, they continue to be promoted as “planted forests” as a means of hiding their true destructive nature.

Local communities impacted by eucalyptus, pine and other fast wood monocultures state that “plantations are not forests”. All the available evidence proves that local communities are right, because while forests provide a wide range of benefits to both people and the environment, plantations result in:

- the appropriation of forest land that provides for peoples’ livelihoods
- the destruction of forests and other equally valuable ecosystems
- the depletion of water resources
- the impoverishment of soils
- the disappearance of plant and animal biodiversity.

We therefore call on European governments to stop all types of support to the spread of fast wood plantations and to adopt a clear definition of forests, which excludes large scale monoculture tree plantations

Organisations,

Worldforests, Mandy Haggith
Greenpeace Swizterland, Asti Roesle
Pro Regenwald, Hermann Edlemann
Rettet den Regenwald, Robert Risch
Robin Wood, Jule Naundorf
Geasphere, Philip Owen
Finnish Nature League,
FERN, Saskia Ozinga
ARA, Wolfgang Kuhlmann
Ecological Internet, Glenn Barry
Forests Monitor, Brad Mulley
World Rainforest Movement, Chris Lang

Individuals

Lafcadio Cortesi
Sini Erajaa
Katy Karris
Keno Toenjes